I Became a New Magical Girl Priest

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When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

A hospital?

No, there was no need to question it; it was definitely a hospital. A fancy single room at that.

The pristine white ambiance of the single room looked like it could burn a hole in your wallet.

In a panic, as I tried to get up, I screamed.

Every part of my body hurt.

When I usually went to the medical center, even if I broke a bone, I’d usually heal up in just a few hours. In fact, that timeframe was massive for serious injuries, and for injuries like a rib or two, recovery often took less than an hour.

Was there anywhere left unhealed? Did my immediate arrival at the hospital mean I missed my usual treatment?

“Ji-eun!”

Before I could even assess my condition, a familiar voice called out to me.

“Ji-hye…”

“Yeah, I’m here!”

Ji-hye said that and grabbed my hand. I had to grit my teeth to suppress the pain.

“Oh, sorry.”

Seeing the change in my face made Ji-hye quickly let go of my hand. That made it a little better.

“What happened?”

“When you went for that field trip, there was an accident. Noir Corporation and the Magical Girls often clash, right? Apparently, the Magical Girls had some business there. While fighting…it seems there was an unexplained explosion.”

“…Is that so?”

Was there no news about me? I hadn’t been with the students; I was fighting the Magical Girls in my Combat Suit.

And there I was, covered in that black substance, fighting like some kind of alien, only to get my identity exposed…

I shook my head to clear the thoughts.

“You got caught up in that.”

“The cause of the explosion is still unknown?”

“Yeah. It’s been all over the news for almost a week. People from the Eun-ha Federation and Noir were arguing on panels.”

“What about the Magical Girls?”

Ha-yoon.

Just thinking of Ha-yoon made me feel faint.

That day, Ha-yoon saw my face.

Ji-hye still didn’t seem to know I was a Combatant. If she did, she would’ve mentioned it first.

…And Combatants don’t exactly have a good reputation either.

“Officially, they haven’t said anything yet. So far, only spokespeople from the Eun-ha Federation have come out. Apparently, they’re important people, but I don’t know their names. They aren’t even Earthlings.”

“I see.”

I sighed.

“How long have I been like this?”

The pain throughout my body might be from being unable to move. Even though they might have been changing my position in a fancier room to prevent bedsores, it still hurt to move from being all stiff.

“A week.”

“…A week?”

I let my head drop back onto the bed to look at Ji-hye.

“It’s okay. The school probably won’t say anything. They’ve talked with that side.”

“On the news?”

“Yeah. You’re the only student who got hurt, so…”

There must’ve been issues with the teachers’ supervision or maybe the company didn’t manage the situation properly; in any event, it seemed they wouldn’t ask me anything.

“…”

Even after hearing that, I couldn’t guess how the events unfolded.

“And also… Ha-yoon came by.”

“Ha-yoon?”

I lifted my head again, grimacing.

“Yeah. She always comes first and sits here waiting before leaving. You’re… friends with her, right? She must be really worried about you.”

“Did anyone else come?”

“Yeah. Other Magical Girls, and someone from the company. A foreigner in a suit.”

That must be James.

Hearing Ha-yoon’s name drained the strength from me.

I was unsure of Ha-yoon’s exact reason for coming to see me. Maybe she had some questions. Though part of her visit would be for well-wishing, I had so many things to explain.

Would Ha-yoon understand?

Even after knowing each other for this long, I couldn’t imagine her reaction. Maybe that’s why I felt calmer. Worrying wouldn’t change anything anyway.

Of course, if she saw me, my thoughts would completely change.

“Um… Ji-eun.”

“Yeah?”

Ji-hye called my name cautiously, so I turned my gaze back to her.

She looked like she was deep in thought.

“Um, back then…”

But before Ji-hye could continue…

Knock, knock, knock.

I heard a knock at the door.

“Ah, yes, come in.”

Ji-hye spoke while looking toward the door instead of continuing her thought.

The door opened.

The person who entered was that ‘foreigner in a suit.’

James.

“Are you awake?”

He spoke with a calm expression, even though our eyes met.

I reflexively glanced around the room. Were there any cameras recording? But I couldn’t see anything. After all, it would raise issues of patient privacy to have that in the room.

“Sorry, but may I have a moment to talk with Ji-eun? It’s important.”

“Uh? Oh, sure.”

Ji-hye looked a bit dazed as she stood up.

“I’ll wait outside.”

Ji-hye said that while looking at me. When I nodded, Ji-hye carefully left and closed the door.

James sat down in the chair where Ji-hye had just been.

He crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees. After staring at me silently for a few seconds, he finally spoke.

“Are your mind and memories all right?”

“…Yeah, they’re fine.”

“Do you remember everything that happened that day?”

“…”

“Well, it’s alright if you don’t. What matters is that you do have some memories.”

James then looked around, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

“I’ve been here every day for the past week. At exactly this time. I didn’t want to run into any Magical Girls. It’s a bit funny, really. After all, we’re the ones covering your hospital bills. Unfortunately, it seems we can’t decide who comes into this room. Anyone permitted by your… guardian can enter.”

“The orphanage teacher?”

“Well, kind of.”

James nodded.

“If they had come here as Magical Girls, it would have been noisy, but since they came as just a student, it was fine. In this situation, the position of being a Magical Girl worked out quite nicely, since your friend and her pals could all come in.”

“But you’re here too.”

“The company is paying the hospital bills, and more than that, this situation is linked to our company. We are… meant to take responsibility if you suffer any damages. I represent that position.”

So, at least it wasn’t strictly from the external point of view as a ‘superior and subordinate’ relationship. That was a bit of a relief.

“I gather you’ve been exposed as a Magical Girl.”

James asked, without a cautious tone.

“…”

“Well, that’s fine. That fact isn’t that critical. Being a Combatant doesn’t mean you’re a spy.”

It was important to me, though.

“The truly important thing is the data that was in your helmet. The footage there… was surprising. It might even be the key to groundbreaking technology.”

“So?”

Before I knew it, I reacted a bit harshly.

“Are you saying I’ve become an important asset to the company?”

“I believe so.”

“Are you saying others don’t feel that way?”

“Correct.”

James sighed deeply. It felt like a genuine sigh. No matter if it was fake or real, James looked genuinely tired and annoyed.

“First of all, I want you to know that the explosion was not intentional.”

“Who else could it be?”

“Another executive from the opposite group, or perhaps a third party. What’s certain is that the company hasn’t figured anything out about this yet.”

“Were they trying to pin it on the Magical Girls?”

“That might have been the goal. The possibility exists, but even so, it wasn’t me. There were real Researchers there.”

I paused for a moment, speechless.

“So then—”

“Yes, people died. Several employees on watch duty also died.”

I fell silent.

“It seems the higher-ups at the company plan to blame you for it. And if that’s the case, then asking you for all the causes would be the most effective way to go about it.”

“Huh?”

When I asked with a blank expression, James explained slowly.

“You’ve been a Combatant for three years. But that isn’t a profession that recognizes experience. I’m sorry to put it this way, but in truth, it’s simply labor, just a part-time job.”

I couldn’t find any rebuttal to that.

That was true. There’s no special skill needed to be a Combatant. The fights weren’t consistent, and you just put on a Combat Suit and went out there.

There might be industries that recognize the experience, but that experience wouldn’t create the impression of a ‘profession.’

“But I have focused my support on someone like you. I handed over prototype equipment that no one else has used yet and even upgraded it.”

“So you’re saying I’m the cause?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but it’s quite rare for both the Eun-ha Federation and the corporation to be in sync. Both are competing to boost their influence on this planet, but they certainly don’t want to get completely chased out.”

“…”

“The Eun-ha Federation wants to hide the fact that they lost their researcher under them. The Magical Girls want to maintain the impression of being invincible. Unlike Combatants, it’s quite hard to find talents like the Magical Girls.”

James calmly explained to me, as I continued to look unconvinced.

“The company also doesn’t want to accept responsibility for the explosives getting in due to lack of management. Yes, that’s partly my fault. So please, don’t give me that look. There’s still more to this story.”

Seeing my expression, James raised both his hands, as if to calm me down.

“It’s a silly story. An obvious one. I think so too. But how do you think people outside, who don’t know the facts, would perceive this?”

I bit my lip.

Yes. It wouldn’t be impossible for someone to entirely pin an event that never even happened on someone else. Turning someone who was the first to notice and report a bombing into a suspect would be quite feasible.

But why did it have to be me?

“What exactly are you planning to fabricate? I didn’t even touch the bomb.”

“They won’t focus on the bomb. They’ll use the data from your helmet. They’ll say there was a large accident caused after the energy went wild. At that time, the energy couldn’t be overlooked.”

“…”

“It’s foolish.”

James muttered, seemingly annoyed.

“No matter how smart individuals are, when they gather as a group, they often do shockingly foolish things. This case is no different. The company is satisfied with the current ‘Circuit.’ They’re already able to extract sufficient energy from an individual with no talent, so they question whether they need someone who produces unstable output by constantly damaging their Circuit.”

“So, you’re saying that I…”

“They’re a shockingly stupid, bothersome bunch. Isn’t that right?”

James seemed to be upset, but I highly doubted it was because of me.

It was likely that he was more enraged by the fact that the project he was working on was completely wrecked, and above all, that his own position was at risk.

“But my ability…”

“It’s a fantastic ability. No one has ever achieved what you have. It’s not just a matter of effort. It seems to touch on some personal compatibility you possess, like the Magical Girls.”

James sighed deeply as if expressing genuine regret.

“They also mentioned a third party, but I honestly think it’s something within the company. There must be someone who… extremely dislikes me. They might have become anxious upon realizing I found a promising talent.”

“If such a person exists, then shouldn’t they be caught?”

I felt a surge of anger.

“Why should it be me…!”

“Again, I’ll say, when smart individuals gather, they often become a foolish organization.”

James looked straight into my eyes.

“When one side of the conflict tilts, naturally, those underneath will also be affected.”

“…”

“I’ll let you know one more thing. At the moment you experienced the accident, the chairman of Noir Corporation also lost contact.”

“Was he someone on your side?”

“Correct. He was the one who was trying to take advantage of the new discovery.”

Though that’s most likely just a front for domesticating humans.

“Our company isn’t a public one. We are a privately held company with an owner who has complete control. That means—”

—If the chairman vanishes, those below might eat up everything.

Of course, that’s usually a foolish move. An accused representative loses the trust of those below. Especially when an incident like this gets so much visibility.

“Bribery and coercion.”

James said.

“They’re preparing to form and grab a faction.”

“What about the government? Someone died. If they properly investigated—”

“They’ve already dictated the results. Of course, the company must have offered something. It’s likely a core part of our space navigation technology. This is the kind of technology that other countries would have their eyes on, right? In fact, they risk their lives to infiltrate others and steal technology.”

I stared at James, my mouth agape.

“Of course, it’s a significant loss for our company.”

As James said multiple times, foolish individuals don’t care about anything as long as they profit.

…Just like I have until now.

“But, you…”

“Because it’s bothersome.”

James stated.

“I find this situation troubling and intolerable as it stands. I just want to poke the other side somehow.”

James rummaged through his pockets and placed something on my bed.

It was a small clock that looked like a smartwatch.

“This is a Circuit. It’s one of the things we’ve been researching.”

James looked at me with burning eyes.

“W-What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Run away.”

James said.

“Hold onto this Circuit and escape. You absolutely must not get captured.”

“Where am I supposed to go…?”

“Anywhere but Seoul. And run to another Galactic corporation that’s unrelated to us. You can escape beyond the Earth through Warp Gates.”

“…”

“Perhaps things will settle as you escape. Then you can come back and resolve everything later.”

“But what about Ji-hye and the people at the orphanage…?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

James scoffed in disbelief, as if my worry was absurd.

“Haven’t you already received an immense amount of donations?”

“…”

“You’ll be able to make it for the next few years. The government doesn’t hold back on grants either. Oh, right, all the threats I made towards you are rendered meaningless now. I can’t do anything right now.”

James spat the words out, looking genuinely upset.

“What will you do? If you stay here, get caught, then I won’t have a word to say. I’m just suggesting one way out.”

“…”

I thought for a moment.

My heart raced incessantly. Is what James said true? Is he just trying to deceive me?

“…I can’t trust you.”

“Then don’t trust me.”

James shrugged.

“I’m not saying this because I want you to trust me. I just feel immensely irritated by the current situation.”

James stood up, facing the door.

“I’ll call your friend outside. Think it over carefully.”

Without any lingering hesitation, James stepped out.

I stared blankly at the closed door when Ji-hye cautiously entered again.

“Ji-eun?”

She cautiously asked, seeing my expression.

“What? Did you hear something bad?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

And hid the clock under the blankets.

“No, nothing happened. I’m fine.”

Although I said that, Ji-hye didn’t seem reassured.

It was likely because my face didn’t convey any confidence.

But I couldn’t manage my expression even if I tried.

I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Now, what should I do?

Of course, a clear answer didn’t pop into my mind.

 

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